


Bringing Back Loki

by MDF007



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Asgard (Marvel), Avengers Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kid Loki (Marvel), Kid Loki and Kid Thor (Marvel), Kid Thor (Marvel), Little Brothers, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Memories, Protective Older Brothers, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:27:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MDF007/pseuds/MDF007
Summary: The Avengers (minus Thor) concoct a plan to bring back Loki so Thor will stop being so miserable.The catch is that they have to understand why Thor misses Loki so much first-- and none of them are necessarily on team Loki.So they have a powerful Mage extract ten of Thor's key memories about Loki and must go inside each of them in hopes of understanding the brothers' relationship enough to bring Loki back.Can't do summaries or titles woops. Also set after Endgame but everyone is conveniently alive besides Loki because I can.Trigger warnings in later chapters for self-harm and drinking





	1. "We've got to do something about Thor"

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Endgame but some people are alive with no explanation and basically I changed any details I needed to make my story work because hey that's the point of fiction right?
> 
> Fist chapter is set up, the following (except last) will each be a different memory-- some set during Thor and Loki's childhood, some during their adult lives-- some more angsty some more fluffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes the whole memory thing is stolen from harry potter and the half blood prince

“We’ve got to do something about Thor.”

Tony walked into the Avengers’ headquarters one day when Thor had gone out for his ‘daily walk’ (which he always returned from red and puffy eyed) to confront the rest of the team.

They had all agreed to stay close by for a while after defeating Thanos—mostly for emotional support but also partially because none of them really felt safe just yet, even though all danger _seemed_ to be defeated. They were all recovering slowly—both emotionally and physically—from the battle.

Well, all but Thor. And to be fair, no one seemed to have lost quite as much as Thor, who was now without his mother, father, entire people and—most affectingly it seemed—without his brother.

Tony still had a hard time understanding why Thor seemed to be so particularly upset over the loss of his traitorous, lying little brother. So did the rest of the team, though they may be less likely to be so vocal about it.

Even after Bruce had explained to them how Loki seemed to be redeeming himself slowly around the time of his death, they had a hard time wrapping their heads around how Thor’s grief could run so deep after all Loki had done to betray him and everything he loved. They had talked about it at length when Thor was away—even Bruce, who had more of a full picture, saw Loki and Thor fighting almost up to the very end, and couldn’t have foreseen such a response after Loki’s neck was snapped.

But, whenever Thor started to mention his brother, or something came up to remind him of Loki, his eyes would get misty and he would suddenly seem to lose the ability to form coherent sentences before quickly excusing himself to get a drink.

“I agree.” Natasha spoke up. “This has gone on long enough. The poor guy needs help.”

Bruce had been quiet, with an odd look on his face ever since the conversation began. Now, he interjected.

“I’ve been thinking…” He stopped, looking as though he may not continue his thought.

“Yes?” Tony pressed. “About anything in particular?”

Bruce sighed. “Maybe it’s a terrible idea but…” he trailed off again.

“Finish your thought Doctor.” Clint pressed in frustration.

“Ok.” Bruce put down the glass he was holding and leaned forward, lacing his fingers together carefully. “Thor doesn’t know that I found out about this, but after Loki died, he went looking to bring him back.”

“Bring him back? To life?” Steve asked in shock.

“No, Back to the Future.” Tony sarcastically quipped.

“Cut it out, I just wanted to make sure—”

“Quiet, you two.” Natasha scolded them before turning back to Bruce expectantly. “Go on, Bruce.”

“Yes. Bring him back to life.” Bruce answered Steve anyway.

“He searched… a lot. Went to some pretty dark places, met with some pretty dark people. He didn’t have any luck until he met with this one really powerful Mage by the name of Silicio. She’s one of the few beings powerful enough to bring someone back to life. But apparently, it’s a difficult process, requiring the blood of several people who understand the loss and love left behind by the one passed. And the catch is, the blood can’t belong to anyone related to the person who’s died. Related by blood, or by spirit. So, as his brother, though only in spirit, Thor couldn’t use his own blood. And he didn’t think he’d be able to find enough people who would understand his grief at loosing Loki, so he gave up.”

“So how many people are needed for this process?” Natasha asked.

“Five.”

“So exactly as many of us as there are? That’s convenient.” Said Clint.

“Except we all hate Loki. So we wouldn’t be able to bring him back even if we wanted to.” Tony pointed out helpfully.

“Plus, bringing someone back from the dead? Don’t you think that’s…a little unnatural?” Stave added nervously.

“Yes.” Bruce answered Steve. “But I don’t think Thor will ever be the same if we don’t. We should at least try.”

“I would agree.” Natasha said carefully. “But Tony’s right. None of us exactly understand why Thor feels Loki’s loss so deeply. How would we overcome that?”

“I have an idea.”

_*_

“So, let me get this straight.” Tony began, incredulously. “We’re going to sneak this Silicio character into Thor’s room at night so we can extract his memories as he sleeps, and then we’re all going to have a slumber party viewing session of Thor’s brain so we can see why he likes that little shit Loki, then we’re going to give this lady our blood so she can bring back the guy who once tried to kill all of us. And I’m supposed to pay her an ungodly amount of money to do all this.”

“Something like that.” Bruce muttered. Then, more strongly, he said. “Look. She can get us copies of Thor’s memories of Loki that will give us more insight into why he loved him despite everything. It should let us understand their relationship enough so that our blood will work to bring him back. And then maybe Thor will stop being so miserable.”

Tony sighed. “I guess so. So, what, ten thousand dollars per memory and then another hundred thousand to bring back the twerp?”

“You’re a billionaire.” Natasha accused, “You can afford it.”

“True.” Tony replied, shrugging. “Ok Bruce, go call the witch doctor. Tell her to come over here tonight.”

As Bruce went to locate the Mage, Steve turned to Natasha in concern.

“I’m still not sure about this.” He reiterated his concerns. “And besides, what if Thor’s memories don’t affect us enough? Thor’s loyalty to Loki could simply lie in the fact that they’re brothers. That might not translate to us.”

Natasha shrugged. “You might be right. But like Bruce said, we should at least try. You’ve seen how miserable he is. This may be the only way to make it so he doesn’t stay that way the rest of his life. We’ve got to try.”

_*_

“Ok.” Silicio slipped out of Thor’s room and entered the locked room where the other Avengers were gathered around the tall bowl of shimmering blue liquid that Silicio had brought. She had ten small, brightly glowing vials in her bag.

“Each of these vials contains a different memory of Thor’s concerning his brother. There are ten vials—ten memories that should give you the best picture of Thor’s love and loss over his brother. After you view them all you will hopefully be sufficient sources of blood to complete the ritual.”

“Alright, let’s get going with it then.” Tony rubbed his hands together. “We’ve got a lot of privacy to invade before dawn.”

Silicio gave him a look and then carefully opened the first vial. Closing her eyes, she hovered a hand over the vial’s mouth and moved it upward, the shimmering contents trailing behind and following her hands motions. She deposited the memory in the bowl and moved her hand over it in circular motions. She muttered something under her breath and then opened her eyes again.

“It is ready.” She spoke. “Put your heads in the memory and you will fall into it.”

There was a momentary pause as silence filled the room. Bruce broke it suddenly.

“Sorry, our heads? In… in there?”

Silicio stared at him, deathly serious. “Yes.”

He looked at her nervously, then nodded. “Right. Yeah, just wanted to make sure.”

“Um… no offense lady but I don’t think we’ll all fit.” Tony piped up, looking at the bowl suspiciously.

“You’ll fit.” She answered smoothly.

“Ok then.” Tony answered after a pause.

“Ok…” Natasha looked around at them. Clint gave her a small nod. “Let’s do this.”

They all took one final look at each other then plunged their heads in.

And then they were falling.


	2. Loki Comes Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor deals with not being an only child any more, and in the end (after some rough patches) falls in love with his new baby brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update because I had nothing to do today and I'm having fun with this idea so I'm rolling with it! Thanks so much to those who left comments/kudos (:

There were several grunts and thuds as the five Avengers landed ungracefully in Thor’s memory.

Tony stood up angrily and dusted himself off. “A little warning about the whole ‘ _literally_ falling’ into the memory thing would have been nice.”

The others stood up more slowly.

Bruce looked around them cautiously. They appeared to be in a palace hall. A king and queen sat on two chairs ahead of them, the woman holding a bundle of blankets gingerly in her arms, gazing down at it with a look of pure admiration and love. The king was surveying the area around him, apparently waiting for someone. There was no one else was in sight save for two guards stationed behind the Avengers at the door.

“So… I take it they can’t see or hear us?” Steve whispered cautiously.

“No, of course they can’t.” Tony loudly scoffed in response.

Natasha turned quickly and swatted him in the chest. “You don’t know that!” She whispered angrily in warning.

Tony rolled his eyes dramatically and then, to the dismay and quiet protest of others, walked to stand in front of the king and queen.

“Hey! Royal asshats! Over here!”

Neither of them made a move to suggest they heard him.

Tony turned back around and gloatingly held his arms open.

Clint looked at him angrily. “Be more careful! You don’t know how this works! They could’ve easily heard you and thrown you in the dungeon or something!”

“But they didn’t.” Tony shrugged confidently as he walked closer and peered down at what the queen was holding in her arms. “It’s a baby!” he reported back.

“Do you think its Thor?” Steve asked, correctly assuming the king and queen to be the rulers of Asgard.

His question was interrupted by a loud crash at the door and a shout of “Mother! Father!”

The five of them turned to look along with the king and queen as a small boy of perhaps four or five came crashing into the room. The child had unruly blonde hair, pink cheeks and bright eyes, and dirt smudged on his arms and knees.

“No.” Bruce answered Steve. “I think _that’s_ Thor.”

“Thor.” The queen’s happy greeting confirmed Bruce’s guess. “Come to me. Your father and I have some exciting news, and someone we want you to meet.”

Thor came running towards his parents excitedly but slowed when he noticed the bundle in his mother’s arms. He approached it suspiciously, peering at it from a distance as if afraid of what might happen if he were to come closer.

“What is it?” Thor asked, staring at the bundle. Natasha noticed his nose wrinkle ever so slightly.

“Not it, ‘him’.” His mother corrected, not angrily but sternly. “He’s your new baby brother.”

“My what?”

“Thor.” Odin spoke up and Thor immediately lost all attitude at his father’s authoritative tone. “This is Loki. You and he will be raised together; and, prepared for the throne together.”

At this, Thor twitched slightly. “But—but I will still be first in line, right father?”

His father nodded slightly. “Yes, you are first in line. But you will both prepare the same.”

Thor looked slightly relieved at this knowledge, but still suspicious as he nodded.

“Where did he come from?” Thor asked suddenly.

At this, Frigga twitched ever so slightly, but Odin spoke before she could.

“It is not important. He is family now, and that is all that matters. He is my son, just like you are, and your brother. Do you understand?”

Thor nodded at Odin, though whether he really did understand or was simply too scared to question his father further was unclear to those watching unseen.

Odin looked at Thor for a moment longer, then stood. “I have some business I must attend to.”

He leaned down and kissed the top of Loki’s head, patting Thor on the head as he departed.

When he was gone, Thor was left staring at his mother and Loki. He looked frightened to approach.

“Come, Thor. Meet your new little brother.”

The Avengers looked at each other silently, then followed Thor to where Frigga held baby Loki. Tony wrinkled his nose in apparent disgust as he looked down at the baby.

“So that’s Loki?” He asked.

“Shh.” Natasha shushed him. “Remember what we’re doing here.” She reminded him quietly yet firmly. “Watch Thor.”

They watched as Thor looked curiously down at Loki for the first time. Brue thought he could see the stubborn child soften just a bit.

“He’s so little.” Thor examined.

“Yes, he is.” Frigga murmured in agreement.

“How will he fight?” wondered Thor.

Frigga smiled down at her son. “He won’t have to learn that until he’s much bigger. Until then he will need you to protect him.”

At this Loki let out a soft whine and stuck out a hand towards Thor. Thor took it in wonder. Loki’s tiny fingers curled around Thor’s.

“Me?” Thor asked Frigga, his eyes not leaving Loki.

“Yes, you are an older brother now, Thor. You will have to protect your little brother always. No matter how big he gets.” Frigga explained.

Thor’s eyes widened at this newfound responsibility. Natasha smiled slightly at the child’s dutiful reaction.

“Would you like to hold your new brother?”

Thor looked up at his mom, his eyes scared. “But what if I drop him?”

Frigga smiled. “You won’t.”

She lifted Loki and placed him in Thor’s lap, moving Thor’s arms to support the new baby’s head. Thor looked down at Loki, who had little bubbles of spit forming at his mouth. For the first time, the Avengers saw a genuine smile gracing Thor’s features.

“Hello, brother.” He said to Loki. “My name is Thor. I am your older brother now. We are going to have all sorts of fun together. When you’re bigger I can show you how to fight. And we can go on lots of adventures. And don’t worry about your being so small, because I will always protect you. I promise.”

There was a sudden whirring and the Avengers found the world twisting around them. It felt like someone had flushed a toilet bowl and they were now being sucked down the drain.

“What the hell is going on—” but before Steve even finished the panicked sentence, they found themselves in another room.

Bruce looked around. “I guess it’s another part of the memory.”

“Look.” Clint was pointing at Thor, sitting in his bed. He had his arms crossed and was lying down, but his eyes were wide open as he stared angrily at the ceiling. Somewhere else in the palace, a baby was crying.

Thor grabbed a pillow and put it over his ears in apparent frustration. “Shut up, shut _up_.” He groaned, rolling over.

“No one even asked for you anyway.” He muttered to himself, almost as an afterthought.

Suddenly, the world started twisting again and the Avengers found themselves in a different location. They were now seated around a table as Thor’s family had apparently just finished a meal. Thor was holding Loki in his lap and making faces at him, bouncing him up and down while Loki giggled at Thor uncontrollably.

Frigga smiled at the two, but then stood up and took Loki from Thor. “Ok, that’s enough. We need to start settling him down for bed.”

“What?” Thor cried out angrily. “But it’s so early!”

“Baby’s need a lot of sleep.” His mother explained, walking away.

Thor crossed his arms and pouted, slumping down in his seat as Odin ignored him in favor of some official looking document.

“Just when he was finally being interesting.” Thor mumbled in annoyance and frustration.

The world was turning once more. This time they landed in the gardens, where Frigga walked with a crying Loki in her arms. Thor ran up to her and tugged on her skirt excitedly.

“Mother! Come see what I made in the other garden!”

“Not now, Thor, Loki is crying.” Frigga brushed him aside, barely looking down at Thor as she said it.

“He’s always crying!” Thor complained.

“Babies cry.” Frigga said simply, before turning to walk away, leaving an angry looking Thor behind.

The world twisted. Loki was held in Frigga’s arms and both Frigga and Odin were talking to him excitedly as Odin tried to guide food into the baby’s mouth.

“Mother! Father! Look!” Thor was trying to get his parents attention.

“In a minute, Thor.” Frigga responded without turning around.

“But—”

“Thor, not now!” Odin sternly told him, turning briefly before looking back to Loki.

Another spin and now they were back in Thor’s room.

Steve held his head dizzily. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” He mumbled.

“I’m getting whiplash.” Tony agreed, massaging his neck.

They all looked over at Thor who was restlessly tossing and turning in his bed, a pillow again over his ears as a baby cried loudly in another room.

“Be quiet!” Thor suddenly exploded.

He sat up angrily and, pillow in hand, exited the room. They all looked at each other in confusion and, when the room _didn’t_ start spinning, they hurried after the child. They followed him through the halls of the palace, winding until they reached a small room with the doors ajar. The crying was coming from inside. Thor pushed his way in, and the others followed.

Thor angrily walked over to the crib where Loki lay. He looked inside for a moment before sharply putting his finger to his lips and hissing “Shhhh. Quiet, Loki.”

Loki, of course only cried louder at this, and Thor stomped his small foot impatiently. “I’m trying to sleep, Loki!” he explained in frustration. The baby continued to wail in his crib.

“Shut _up_!” he finally commanded, taking the pillow he had been using to cover his own ears and instead using it to muffle Loki’s crying.

Natasha put a hand over her mouth in fear. “What is he—”

Bruce cut her off. “He’s just a kid—he doesn’t realize what he’s doing. He thinks he’s just muffling the crying.”

“He’s going to kill Loki though.” Steve grimly muttered.

“Good.” Tony piped up.

Natasha turned to Tony and scowled. “ _Remember why we’re here_.” she reminded him through gritted teeth.

Loki’s crying continued for a few seconds, muffled, and then began to lessen…and lessen…and lessen until…

It stopped.

The Avengers watched with bated breath as Thor looked down, unaware that the crying had likely stopped because Loki’s breathing had stopped.

“THOR!”

The Avengers and Thor all jumped as Frigga burst into the room without any of her usual calm and composure. She ran to the crib, moving Thor out of the way as she reached in and flung the pillow out of the crib. Loki coughed and sputtered as the obstruction to his breathing was suddenly removed. He immediately burst out in tears again. Frigga breathed out in relief as she picked up Loki and cradled him in her arms, rocking him until his crying finally ceased, her eyes closed as she fought back tears and tried to compose herself. Thor watched the entire thing with fear clearly etched on his face. He realized he was in trouble, but he also realized he had apparently done a very bad thing—and might have hurt his little brother in the process.

When Frigga opened her eyes, she was more composed, but there was fury there that the Avengers had yet to see.

“Thor.” She hissed down at him, “What were you _thinking_?”

“I—I just wanted him to be quiet so I could sleep!” Thor defended himself, tears quickly welling up in his eyes. “I didn’t know—I wasn’t trying to—I’m sorry!” he broke down in sobs, clinging to Frigga’s legs.

Frigga sighed, visibly calming down. It had just been an accident. Of course. A childish mistake. She kneeled and took Thor’s little hand in her own, still holding Loki in her other arm. Thor looked from Loki to Frigga guiltily.

“It’s ok Thor. It was a mistake. You did not realize.” She soothed him until he quieted enough that she could speak to him firmly. “You must realize though, you cannot do something like this again. Babies are very fragile. We must be very careful with Loki. Do you realize what could have happened if I had not come in here?”

Thor nodded quickly, fear clouding his face and tears welling up in his eyes afresh.

“Alright, shhh.” Frigga soothed him, putting a hand to his cheek. “We are all alright now.”

Thor looked at Loki, who seemed blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding him. He took his baby brother’s little hand in his own and kissed his small forehead softly. “I’m sorry Loki. I won’t hurt you like that again.”

Loki giggled and hit Thor in the head happily.

“Ow.” Thor scowled at Loki but then smiled as he watched the baby laugh. He grimaced as Loki tugged on his hair, but this time there was also a smile on his face.

He looked at his mother shyly. “I think I like having a little brother.” He admitted.

What happened next felt less like the world was twisting and more like the world was sucking them up through a great vacuum cleaner. Next they knew, the five Avengers were being spit out on the floor of Stark Towers.

They all stood and looked at each other. For a moment, no one spoke.

“Well that was touching.” Tony said eventually.

“Will you be serious!?” Natasha finally exploded at him. “This won’t work if you don’t at least try. Do you want this all to be for nothing?”

“I’m sorry!” Tony put his hands up in mock defense, but then sighed and grew slightly more serious. “I’m sorry, your right. It’s not in my nature, ok? I am trying though. It’s just hard to feel bad for a little baby when you know that baby is going to grow up to kill hundreds of people.”

“Look, I dislike Loki as much as the next guy.” Steve cut in, “But you have to admit, seeing that he started off as a defenseless baby just like the rest of us? It at least makes him seem a bit more human, right?”

“Well, he’s not a human so—” Tony started.

“You know what I mean.” Steve cut him off with a scowl.

“I guess so.” Tony conceded reluctantly at length. “Aren’t we supposed to be learning why Thor loves Loki, though? Seems to me like they had issues from the get-go.”

“Lots of children react like that when they get a younger sibling.” Natasha defended Thor. “And the point is, in the end Thor decided he liked having Loki around. And he vowed to protect him forever. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Tony sighed. “I suppose so.” He admitted. “I’m still not convinced.”

“Well, we have nine memories to go.” Clint reminded him, then looked to Silicio, who was standing with the next memory ready. “Shall we?’

They watched as she extracted the previous memory with a delicate hand and added the next one carefully in its place.

“Everyone ready?” she asked when she was done.

They all nodded at her and stuck their heads in, this time knowing to brace themselves for the landing as they tumbled downward.


	3. Ghost Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor sneaks out and Loki tags along. Loki gets spooked and Thor is there (eventually) to comfort his little brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't decide if I wanted to jump around in the memories or go chronologically but I eventually decided to go chronologically so they'll progress from childhood to present. Just wanted to mention that not all the memories will be from when Thor and Loki are children, just the first set of them! 
> 
> The last ones will be as recent as post-Ragnarok

The landing this time was not quite so ungraceful as the Avengers were tossed back into Asgard via Thor’s memories. After landing only somewhat unsteadily on their feet they looked around at the beautiful gardens that surrounded them, dappled in golden evening sunlight.

“No, Loki, like this.”

They all turned at the sound of a child’s voice to see a slightly older Thor—now perhaps nine—and a Loki that looked to be around four or five. Thor was showing Loki what looked to be a type of Asgardian children’s game similar to jacks. Loki was looking up at his older brother with admiration and focus as he was shown the proper technique. Thor seemed to be enjoying the audience very much, showing off his skills in the game confidently as the Avengers watched, invisible, nearby.

Frigga walked out into the gardens and smiled upon seeing her two sons.

“Thor, Loki, your father and I are leaving now. We will be back tonight, and the nurse is just inside if you need anything.”

“Ok, Mother.” Thor didn’t look up from what he was doing.

“Look at me please.” Frigga commanded gently.

Thor’s head snapped up obediently.

“You two are not to leave the palace, is that understood?”

Thor nodded quickly. “Yes, Mother.”

“And look after your brother?” She reminded him, crouching down so that her eyes were level with the child’s.

“I don’t need to be looked after!” Loki protested indignantly, crossing his arms and scowling at his mother.

Frigga looked at Loki indulgingly, a mock look of understanding plastered on her face.

“Oh, you are right.” She agreed. “My mistake, darling.” She kissed the top of his head and hugged his face to her bosom, giving Thor a pointed look over his head as she did so. Thor nodded his understanding.

“Alright my loves, be good.” She kissed Thor’s head as well and then stood to leave.

Thor watched her go carefully, then quickly turned to Loki. His expression changed so rapidly that it was immediately clear to those watching that he had ulterior motives.

“Brother, I am going to meet some friends to share ghost stories down by the lake this evening. Go inside and find the nurse and stay with her until I return, but do not tell her that I left.” He explained hastily.

Tony smirked as they watched him scheme. “Thor was a sneaky little shit.” He commented appreciatively, “I’ll bet Loki was a snitch, though.”

“Language.” Steve warned Tony with scowl, to which Tony replied with an enormous eye roll.

Indeed, Loki pouted up at Thor. “We aren’t supposed to leave the palace though.”

Thor looked annoyed. “I know that.” He snapped, “But I will be back before Mother and Father return. They will never know.”

Loki appeared thoughtful for a moment, then looked up at his brother hopefully. “Can I come with you, then?”

“No.” Thor replied, too quickly, before adding hurriedly, “You are too little.”

Loki stood up and stomped his foot angrily, his hands balled tightly into tiny fists. “I am _not_.” He insisted.

“Loki.” Thor groaned, standing as well so he had the advantage of height over his brother. “These are new friends. I want them to like me. They won’t respect me if I show up dragging along my little brother.”

Loki’s bottom lip wobbled just a little and his eyes grew large and slightly misty as he looked up at Thor. Thor’s face twitched slightly at Loki’s expression. Neither said a word.

“Is Loki really about to win Thor over with a puppy dog look?” Bruce asked incredulously.

“Five bucks says he caves.” Clint quickly jumped in.

“Hey! Since when are we betting on things here?” Natasha accused him.

“I’ll take those odds.” Cut in Steve.

“I’ll say he doesn’t cave, _and_ Loki tattles.” Tony added his own bet to the pot.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

They all watched tensely, now with increased incentive as to the outcome. Finally, just as a small tear threatened to spill out and slide down Loki’s cheek, Thor threw his hands up and rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Fine! You can come.” He sounded extremely annoyed about this.

Clint cheered and laughed at Steve and Tony.

“But,” Thor continued, looking at Loki sternly. “Do _not_ embarrass me in front of my new friends. Understand?”

Loki, who had lost all signs of being upset as soon as Thor had conceded, nodded happily as he took Thor by the hand and followed him stealthily out of the gardens.

“Thor _was_ sneaky.” Bruce muttered, “Maybe that’s where Loki learned it.” He added only half-jokingly as they followed the two young boys out of the place gates and onto a winding path.

They followed them for some time down the little dirt road, shielded on either side by tall grasses and further isolated by forest outside of that. Loki held tight to Thor’s hand as they walked, looking suspiciously around into the eerily tall grass every once and awhile as Thor bounded forward chatting excitedly and oblivious to Loki’s trepidation.

At one point, Loki spoke up nervously. “Thor.” He stated softy. “What will happen if Mother and Father find out we left?”

“They won’t.” Thor assured his younger brother confidently.

“How do you know?”

“Because…” Thor seemed to struggle for a reason, finally settling on. “I’m in charge. And I’ll make sure we don’t get caught.”

Clint snorted at this explanation, but Loki seemed to be satisfied with it, nodding as if he fully trusted his brother to keep his word.

They continued walking for several minutes, until finally the grass thinned, and they came to the edge of a great lake. The sun was setting over the horizon and casting a beautiful orange light on the calm, clear water. There was a group of boys that looked to be around Thor’s age, maybe a little older, sitting at the edge of the lake and throwing rocks into the water. One boy tended a roaring fire off to the side.

“Thor!”

One of the boys saw Thor approaching and excitedly waved at his friend.

The other boys hopped up in similar excitement and they all ran to meet Thor as he approached happily. They abruptly stopped short, however, when they saw the small boy Thor had in tow.

One of the boys pointed at Loki rudely. “Why’d you bring a little kid?” he accused.

Thor looked down at Loki in surprise, as if he had completely forgotten he was being tailed by his brother. He appeared to grow embarrassed

“I’m not little!” Loki bravely spoke up, “I am Prince Lo—”

“This is just my younger brother. I had to bring him because my parents went out and I’m supposed to be watching him.” Thor quickly explained himself.

The other boys continued to peer at Loki suspiciously. Thor grew increasingly uncomfortable and, feeling the need to prove himself, hastily added, “Just ignore him, though.”

Loki’s head snapped up to look at Thor, angry and betrayed.

“Harsh.” Tony whispered, surprisingly feeling a little bit bad for Loki.

The others seemed satisfied with the response and, shrugging, headed back down to the fire. Thor went to follow but paused, noticing Loki wasn’t following behind him.

“Are you coming, or what?” he pressed in frustration.

Loki looked like he’d like to say something but thought better of it, and instead followed Thor down to the lake, trailed finally by the Avengers. They all arrived around the fire and watched as the boys positioned themselves in a circle around it. Loki held back slightly, looking unexpectedly intimidated by the older boys.

Thor looked back and, noticing Loki’s hesitation, put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and pulled him to sit down close next to him. Loki allowed himself to be guided in such a way. He looked as if part of him was wishing he had never asked to tag along.

“Alright, I’ll go first.” The oldest looking boy spoke up when they had all settled. Without waiting for anyone to agree, he quickly launched into one of the most chilling ghost stories any of the Avengers had heard—and that was saying quite a lot.

“Jesus.” Tony muttered as the boy narrated. “How old are these kids? How are they not scared out of their wits?”

“It looks like most of them are at least a little scared.” Bruce muttered. Indeed, most of the boys’ expressions were somewhat uneasy, but it was hard to see through the mask of excitement that clearly overtook the fear.

“Maybe ghost stories are just scarier on Asgard.” Clint suggested, noting Thor and the others’ surprising lack of concern.

“Well it looks like at least one person is terrified.”

Steve pointed out Loki, who was trembling as he stared wide eyed at the boy speaking, looking as though he was trying very hard to hold himself together.

Unlike the Avengers, Thor didn’t notice Loki’s obvious discomfort—he was too busy trying to impress his new friends, and he seemed to be just as enthralled as the others in each increasingly unsettling story. He was so absorbed, in fact, that he didn’t notice the sun dipping further and further below the horizon until it had disappeared altogether.

“When did Thor’s mom say she was getting back?” Tony asked as he noticed the settling darkness.

As if Thor had heard Tony in the shadows, his head suddenly snapped up to the sky, now brightening with hundreds of twinkling stars.

“Oh _no._ ” he muttered to himself, before shooting up from his spot.

Loki, who had been starring at the boy telling the last story in absolute horror, his face gone completely white, looked up at his brother in confusion, as if he had completely forgotten where they were until this moment.

“Um, I think we have to go guys.” Thor explained quickly at the other boys’ confusion. “I’ll see you later!”

He grabbed Loki by the hand and yanked him up. Loki stumbled slightly in surprise.

“Come on Loki.” Thor murmured hurriedly before setting off towards the path at a full sprint. Loki ran after Thor, his little legs struggling to keep up with Thor’s longer ones.

“Shit, do we really have to follow them?” Tony muttered. They all looked at each other briefly before silently deciding that yes, they did really have to follow them. They set off at a run and chased after the two small princes.

“No one said anything about running.” Bruce muttered, already short on breath, as they gained on them.

As they ran, Steve looked around at the tall grass, now much more ominous in the night, memories of the ghost stories igniting his imagination with unpleasant imagery.

“Man, it feels a lot spookier out here now.” Clint huffed, looking around and voicing Steve’s thoughts.

From up ahead, it looked as though Loki was having similar thoughts. He kept stumbling against Thor’s pull and looking around at the grasses nervously. He had continued to grow whiter throughout the night, and his lower lip began to tremble the further they got along the path.

At one point, Thor dropped Loki’s hand to climb over a log that had fallen into the trail. Loki tried to climb over the log as well but couldn’t keep up with Thor, who only got a few paces ahead before the smaller boy started to panic.

“Thor!” he cried out desperately.

Thor stopped abruptly and turned to look at Loki.

“What?” he asked, the panic in his voice clear and almost certainly due solely to fears of getting caught sneaking out. In fact, he hadn’t even seemed to notice the threatening way the grasses rose over them on either side, or the fact that Loki was close to tears for the fear he felt from those ghost stories.

“Wait—wait for me!” Loki sputtered as he struggled to get over the log. Tears had started to well up in his eyes and he shook from exhaustion and fear as he tried to get to his brother.

Thor looked at Loki in worry then glanced over his shoulder as if he was picturing his mother and father waiting back at the palace to yell at them.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Thor quickly asked as he ran back to Loki and helped him over the log. “Are you scared we’re going to get in trouble?”

Loki silently shook his head ‘no’ and stuck a thumb in his mouth, a childish gesture that pulled slightly on Steve’s heart as he watched.

Thor looked at Loki for a moment in confusion, still visibly vibrating with eagerness to keep moving. Suddenly, realization seemed to dawn on him, and his shoulders fell ever so slightly from their tensed position.

“Are you scared from the ghost stories?”

Loki shook his head ‘yes’, looking ashamed. Thor sighed in frustration and put his face in his hands. It looked as though he was resigning himself to being caught as his plans crumbled around him.

“I _told_ you you were too little!” Thor accused in frustration.

Like opening the flood gates, Loki started to bawl.

Thor’s features immediately softened, though the annoyance was still clear in his face and voice.

“Don’t cry, Loki.” He sighed, leaning down to pick him up in his arms. Loki immediately wrapped himself around Thor as he continued to cry into his shoulder.

“Its ok, look, I’m not mad. And I won’t let any ghosts get you.” He soothed his brother as he turned and continued back up the path, giving up running and instead settling for a brisk walk now that he held his brother in his arms.

Thor continued to talk to Loki as they walked until his crying had melted into a couple of unhappy hiccups. Finally, they reached the front of the palace. Thor set Loki down carefully and crouched so that they were eye level.

“Ok, brother, we have to be very quiet. Follow my lead and don’t make any noise, alright?”

Loki rubbed at his red eyes and tear stained face and nodded his understanding. Thor looked at Loki for a second more before nodding and standing up, taking Loki’s hand again as he quietly slipped into the palace.

“Oh they are so going to get caught.” Tony predicted as they followed them.

He was right.

Not five steps into the palace, Frigga and Odin were standing before them with their arms crossed.

“And just where do you think you’re going, young men?” Frigga asked, directing her question mainly at Thor.

Both Thor and Loki looked up at their parents with wide, terrified eyes. Neither of them seemed to be able to speak.

“Where have you two been?” Odin thundered.

Thor looked as though he was trying to quickly formulate a story in his head, but before he could speak a word, Loki’s lip trembled and then he was sobbing again. Thor sighed in defeat and hung his head, dropping Loki’s hand as his little brother began to confess.

“We went—to the lake—ghost stories—so scary—I’m sorry Mother—”

“Shhh, it is ok Loki.” Frigga soothed, dropping to her knees to hug Loki as she realized how shaken he was. When Loki had quieted down, she looked from him to Thor sternly.

“You are both—” Odin began angrily, but Frigga stood quickly and put her hand up to silence him.

“We will talk about this tomorrow morning.” She said softly, yet in a tone that suggested no one was to argue with her. “For now, you are both to go straight to bed. Do you understand?”

Thor and Loki nodded quickly, turning to run to their bedrooms before she could change her mind. Odin stood tense, with his lips tight, as if he wanted to say something else, but he knew better than to go against Frigga’s words.

The Avengers started as the awful world spinning began again, and suddenly they were back in Thor’s room.

Thor was lying in his bed, his face angry as he stared at the opposite wall. There was loud crack of thunder outside and a flash of lighting, but Thor didn’t flinch as it lit up the room. The quiet of the night was broken by a soft creaking as the door opened a crack and the Avengers looked to it in surprise along with Thor to see Loki peering meekly inside.

“What do you want?” Thor mumbled at his brother, clearly still mad at him for ruining his night.

Loki took a timid step into Thor’s room. “I—I can’t sleep.” He said quietly. “I’m scared.” He added, sounding embarrassed and shy.

Thor looked as if, for a moment, he wanted to tell Loki that that’s what he deserved for insisting on tagging along. But then, whether from pure exhaustion or simple love for his brother, Thor sighed, and the Avengers watched as any fight in him visibly melted away.

Instead, Thor threw back his covers and gestured Loki over with a jerk of his head. “Come on, then.”

Loki gave Thor a tiny smile and ran over to the bed, climbing in gratefully and snuggling up to Thor under the covers. They watched as Loki closed his eyes, finally looking at peace as he began to relax into sleep.

“Thank you, brother.” Were Loki’s last sleepy words as he drifted off. The Avengers saw Thor smile softly at this, his own eyes closed as he began to slip into sleep.

“Of course, brother.”

The Avengers found themselves suddenly back in Stark Towers.

They were again silent at first, still processing everything that they had seen. It was Bruce who spoke up first.

“Is it just me, or did Loki seem kind of just like a normal little kid?” he said, as though afraid to speak the words out loud.

“He is. Him and Thor both were.” Steve agreed, quietly moved by the memory and brotherly affection.

“So, when did he get all ‘murdery’ and stuff?” Tony wondered aloud, not willing to admit it but also agreeing that Loki seemed rather normal as a child. He wasn’t killing small animals in the woods or anything.

“We’ve all got our own issues…our own pasts.” Natasha said softly, seemingly deep in her own thoughts.

“We should probably go to the next memory guys; we don’t have all the time in the world here.” Clint pointed out after another long silence.

The rest of them nodded in agreement and looked to Silicio as she prepared the next memory. They stuck their heads in together and fell back to the past.


	4. Saving Thor's Butt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor decides to venture out into harms way. Loki worries for his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting lazy with the intro/outros of each chapter.

“Loki, do you want to—” The Avengers watched as Thor noisily pushed open Loki’s bedroom door and stepped into the room without invitation.

The brothers had now reached adolescence, with Loki looking to be about twelve or thirteen and Thor around perhaps sixteen. Thor had grown significantly since they had last seen him. Loki as well, though he remained much smaller than Thor.

“Thor, you idiot! Don’t you knock?!”

Loki looked to have been practicing an extremely tricky bit of magic: a book open on the desk he sat at and something green levitating in the air in front of him unsteadily. When Thor opened the door, Loki’s concentration had broken and the levitating object had dropped, falling unfortunately on Loki’s head as he turned to look at his brother.

Thor tried and failed to stifle a giggle at seeing Loki being hit so unceremoniously on the head, and Loki scowled back at him, very clearly unamused.

“Now he’s starting to seem more like the Loki we all know and love.” Tony mutter sarcastically, and the others couldn’t help but silently agree.

“What?” Loki snapped when Thor didn’t say anything but instead continued laughing at his brother’s misfortune. “What do you want?”

Thor had managed to stop laughing, but the wide grin didn’t leave his face as he walked towards Loki and gripped his arm excitedly.

“There are new obstacles up on the training grounds, come spar with me!” He implored enthusiastically.

“No.” Loki wrenched his arm away angrily. Looking up to see Thor’s crestfallen expression, he added in a slightly softer tone—though the scowl didn’t leave his face— “I’m busy.”

“You’re always busy.” Thor complained unhappily, turning and flopping dramatically on Loki’s bed.

“And you’re always annoying.” Loki muttered back instinctually, already turned back to flipping through his book of spells.

Thor rolled over on his stomach, propping his head up on his hands and staring at Loki thoughtfully for a moment before a smile spread across his face again. He stood up again, his whole body vibrating with energy, as he went to tug on Loki.

“Come brother, let’s explore the old shipwreck down by the lake.”

“I told you I’m busy, Thor.” Loki didn’t bother to push Thor away this time, nor did he even turn to look at him as he spoke.

“Come on, we haven’t been down there in years!” Thor intrigued, the idea thrumming excitement into his veins.

“You know it’s been infested with wild boars ever since last year.” Loki pointed out, raising his eyebrow at Thor.

“More of a challenge for us.” Thor gloated, his chest puffing out bravely.

Loki scoffed and turned away from Thor again. “More of a chance for us to get killed.” He corrected.

“So you will come?” Thor excitedly interpreted Loki’s response.

“No, I will not come. Now will you leave me alone?” Loki rolled his eyes.

“Poor Thor.” Bruce frowned. “He just wants to hang out with his brother.”

“Yeah, why?” Tony wrinkled his nose.

“Come on, you saw how close they were. He’s probably used to having someone to spend time with twenty-four seven.” Steve nudged him.

Thor frowned at Loki, but finally gave up and turned to leave. “Fine.” He mumbled on the way out, “Guess I’ll just go alone.”

“Fine.” Loki mumbled back.

Once Thor had left, though, his head shot back up, his eyebrows wrinkled nervously. “Thor, you buffoon, don’t go down to the shipwreck alone! You’ll get yourself killed!”

It was too late, though—Thor had gone. Loki looked after him with a distinct expression of concern which genuinely shocked the watching Avengers.

“See? He does care.” Natasha directed at Tony.

After a moment, however, Loki simply frowned and shook his head, turning back to his book and becoming reabsorbed as he muttered something unheard to himself.

“Not enough.” Clint replied as they took the que to turn and follow Thor out instead.

They watched Thor walk down the hall a way before he stumbled into Frigga, who sat in the gardens reading a book. When she saw her oldest son approaching, she set it down and smiled at him, patting the space next to her on the bench invitingly. He smiled back and took the invitation, settling down next to his mother.

“How are you this day, my dear?” Frigga asked Thor, who was looking particularly unhappy after the interaction with his brother.

“Alright, I guess.”

“Something is troubling you.” Frigga frowned, tilting her son’s head to look at her. “What is it?”

Thor chewed on his lip for a moment, before deciding to confide in his mother with a sigh.

“Loki never wants to do anything with me anymore.” Thor mumbled, looking resolutely down. “He always says he’s busy.”

Frigga smiled knowingly. “Loki is reaching that point all children must eventually meet where he is going through changes—physically and emotionally. Just as you did—and still are, though you are of course further along than Loki, who has just begun to experience these things.”

“So?” Thor didn’t appear to understand where his mother was going with this, and presumably did not want to talk about his brother’s ‘changing body’ with her or anybody else.

“Do you remember feeling moodier when you reached Loki’s age? Were you not more easily angered? Do you not remember wanting to isolate yourself from your family more than normal?” She patiently pressed him.

“I guess…” Thor reluctantly conceded at length. “Not as much as Loki is though. I still played with him when I was his age.”

“Loki is different than you. He is more solitary—he always has been. He’s just at an age where he’s starting to figure himself out. He is still your brother though, and still loves you. You will see—in time he will grow into himself and the two of you will be closer than ever.” Frigga smiled and hugged Thor to her reassuringly as she finished.

“Yikes.” Tony whispered. “That didn’t turn out to be so true.”

“We don’t know much about Thor and Loki’s relationship past adolescence.” Bruce pointed out, attempting some degree of fairness in his own ruling. Of any of them, he had had the best glimpse at how Thor and Loki truly felt about each other on the ship to Earth, though only in privately witnessed snippets.

Thor’s face was set in a deep and confused scowl, as if he was having trouble truly processing and accepting his mother’s words. He looked like he had something else to say, but with a shake of his head, appeared to change his mind.

Finally he looked up, apparently ready to drop the topic of Loki for now.

“I am going down to the old shipwreck at the lake to explore.” He boldly stated instead.

Frigga chuckled at him. “No, you are not.” She said. “It is too dangerous these days. A wild boar could easily attack you.”

“I will fight it off.” Thor puffed his chest out and stood bravely, trying his best to exhibit to his mother that a boar was no match for him.

“No, Thor.” Frigga said gently, yet firmly, standing and placing a tender hand on his cheek. “Find another way to occupy your time.” She said as she left him alone.

Thor was left with a miserable looking scowl on his face. Every one of his day’s plans had been foiled. He sat with his arms crossed, contemplating crossly, when suddenly his face changed. It was an odd look of determination and just a little bit of unsureness.

“Uh oh.” Bruce said, seeing Thor’s face change.

Natasha looked over in confusion. “What?” she inquired of him.

Bruce looked at her, surprised she didn’t see what he saw. Then he looked back to Thor.

“I know that look.” He explained simply.

In the next second, Thor stood up and slipped out of the gardens.

“Again?” Clint referenced Thor’s incessive sneaking away from the palace.

“Geez, Thor. And we thought Loki was the tricky one.”

They followed Thor back down the path towards the lake from the previous memory. This time, however, before they reached the water’s edge, Thor turned and went down a more winding, rugged path which eventually flattened out to reveal a great old ship, half in the lake and half out, rotting away to the Earth.

Just as Loki and Frigga had both warned, there were mean looking wild boars pacing the outskirts of the ship, climbing in and out of the gaping holes in the wood. They appeared not to be normal boars but, instead, were presumably an Asgardian species that looked far larger and far more aggressive that those found on Earth.

The ship was swarming with them.

“He’s crazy.” Bruce murmured as they watched Thor continue to approach, despite the obvious danger.

Steve shrugged. “Raised a warrior since birth, I guess.”

“And an idiot. Loki was actually right about that.” Natasha murmured, watching as Thor inched closer to the wild animals.

Thor had a sword which they had watched him take from the armory on his way out of the palace. He brandished it now as he approached the ship. A smaller boar, presumably younger, saw Thor and ran at him, huge teeth barred. Thor was ready and easily sliced its neck. It fell pathetically, easily. Thor smirked and swung his sword confidently, continuing to stalk towards the ship.

“What’s he even planning on doing when he gets in there?” Tony said in disbelief as Thor took out another, slightly larger boar, this time sustaining a small bite wound on his upper arm, though nothing to worry too much about.

Now Thor was getting further into the animals. He was looking around suspiciously and, for the first time, the Avengers watching thought they might have detected a note of fear in his expression. He apparently ignored this, however, as he continued to advance boldly.

He was staring intently forward—so intently, that he had yet to notice one of the very largest animals had spotted him and was approaching with frightening rage.

“Look out!” Bruce yelled out to Thor, instinctually, before realizing he couldn’t be heard.

The beast pounced on Thor, who yelped in surprise before reeling back to raise his weapon. It was too late. The animal had Thor’s arm almost entirely in his mouth. Thor let out a scream as the boar’s teeth sunk into him. He lifted his other arm and managed to bring the sword down onto the beast so that it let go, and he quickly turned and began to run. The animal ran after him and Thor, in his fear and haste, tripped on a root, falling to the ground with a pained groan. The boar caught up quickly and latched onto his leg, dragging him backward as Thor cried out in pain. For a terrifying second, Thor looked as though he had resigned himself to defeat. Then, however, he managed to summon something in himself and brought the sword down on the animal again—and again—and again until it squealed in pain and limped away miserably.

Thor was left panting on the ground, bleeding terribly and out of breath. Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes tightly, he pushed himself onto his feet and managed to limp back to the border of the trail, away from the other boars. It seemed the folly of his adventure was beginning to dawn on him at last. He leaned down to peel back the leg of his pants and revealed a gaping wound in his leg. He hissed out in pain as the clothing was removed from his bloodied limb.

He looked down at the wounds and immediately turned white, leaning back quickly to look away. The Avengers watched his reaction, assuming he had yet to incur wounds so damning in action.

He turned and looked up at the winding path, muttering curses under his breath as he began to crawl back up it. It was becoming quickly clear that Thor was in serious trouble, as each movement caused blood to flow out of him and knocked more of his breath away. It also became painfully clear in that moment that Thor was still just a kid—a kid who was starting to think he had gotten himself killed before he even reached manhood. A small tear escaped Thor’s eye and he pushed it away violently before gritting his teeth and continuing forward determinedly. He finally reached the smoother part of the path, and could not help but to rest there, if only for a moment. The initial ascent had taken him quite a long time, and the sun was dipping beyond the horizon frighteningly quick. Thor looked around anxiously, listening to the rustle in the grass around him as he lay on his back—sweaty, covered in blood and dirt—and allowed himself a few more tears.

Several minutes passed and he had still yet to move. The few tears had turned into many, and they now streamed silently down his cheeks as he lay there panting.

“Is he—going to die?” Steve sounded anxious as he spoke.

“Well, considering he’s snoring down the hall right now, I’d guess no.” Tony replied, but his voice lacked its usual edge. He sounded worried as well.

“Wait, look guys.” Natasha pointed up the path, where someone was quickly approaching.

“Is that...?”

It was Loki, running down that path and calling out anxiously.

“Thor? Thor!”

Thor had heard it too. His head cocked up and he winced in pain. “Loki?” he whispered to himself in confusion.

Then, upon seeing his brother on the horizon, he became frantic.

“Loki!” he yelled. “Loki, over here!”

“Thor?!” Loki turned his head wildly until he spotted his older brother lying on the ground, bleeding to death.

“ _Thor!_ ”

He sprinted to him, skidding to a halt and kneeling next to him quickly, his eyes huge and full of fear. The Avengers saw Loki’s small hands shake as he immediately began to examine his brother’s wounds.

“Thor.” He repeated in shock. His voice was shaking too. It was a stark contrast to the sullen and snappish boy that they saw earlier. “What—what happened?”

“I think perhaps you were right about the boars.” Thor commented meekly, attempting a smile but immediately dropping it as if it caused him too much pain.

“You _idiot._ ” Loki hissed, his voice angry but his face still frantic and full of fear. “I told you not to—you are such a—” Loki seemed unable to finish a sentence as he stripped Thor’s shirt from his torso to better reveal the wounds.

Loki held his hands over Thor’s body and closed his eyes. His hands shook violently as he began muttering spells and hovering over Thor’s various injuries. Loki’s magic was clearly still nowhere near what it was in his adulthood. However, for being so young, it was impressively good, and the Avengers saw Thor’s wounds begin to close.

Thor’s face at first tightened into a twisted agony, but as Loki worked he appeared to relax, and his expression softened. Eventually he was able to regain some normal breath, and the tightness in his brow slowly disappeared. His bleeding also seemed to stop and his wounds, though still visible, appeared closed for the time being.

When he had finished, Loki sat back, visibly exhausted. He wiped a little sweat from his brow and squeezed his eyes shut. He drew in a long, shaky breath, before looking down at Thor’s face for possibly the first time.

“You absolute _moron_.” He said at last, though his voice had lost almost all its edge.

Thor had grown unusually quiet. “Thank you, brother.” He said finally, sounding weak.

Loki didn’t respond. Instead, he looked away. “Come, it’s going to take awhile to get you back. Mother and Father still haven’t notice that you are gone.”

Loki took Thor’s arm and heaved him up with some difficulty—Thor was significantly larger than him—then threw Thor’s arm over his shoulder as they began the slow trek home. As they limped slowly forward, Thor frowned as though something had dawned on him and looked down at Loki curiously.

“If Mother and Father haven’t noticed I’m gone, how did you know to come looking for me? And where to look?” He inquired curiously.

“Because I know you.” Loki replied simply. When Thor looked at Loki as if this was no answer to him, he continued.

“I’ve been keeping track of the time since you left my room—waiting to see if you’d barge in again. I knew when the sun started to set and I hadn’t heard from you what you had done. And I knew it couldn’t have gone well.” He added the last part significantly, after a pause.

Loki didn’t look at Thor as he spoke, so he didn’t see the warm smile spread over Thor’s face at Loki’s hidden admission of love and concern for his brother. But the Avengers saw it. And they also clearly saw Loki’s true feelings toward Thor in that moment.

“Well, thank you again, little brother.” Thor said at length, sounding as genuine as ever.

“Not little anymore.” Loki corrected him through a grunt as he accepted more of Thor’s weight onto his own.

“To me you are—you always will be.” Thor replied, with an expression that said he knew this truth would annoy Loki.

“Lucky me.” Loki grumbled, making Thor chuckle heartily, despite the situation.

In the darkness, it was almost impossible to see Loki’s small smile growing at Thor’s laughter.

Almost.

They finally arrived back at the palace. Loki helped Thor sit down and quickly ducked inside to make sure their parents weren’t around. When he returned to confirm the coast was clear, he helped Thor to stand again and together they wobbled through the palace to Thor’s chambers.

Loki guided Thor into the bathroom, where he eased his brother down onto the floor and began to diligently clean his wounds, sealing each of them off with a fresh bandage he had apparently put in there before he had gone looking for Thor.

Thor was staring at Loki as he worked, looking as is he greatly wished to say something but was nervous. At length, possibly against his better judgement, he spoke.

“I spoke to Mother about you today, you know.” He began, the hesitation clear in his voice.

Loki glanced up at him quickly with a look of disgust, immediately turning back to his work.

“Why?” he asked in annoyance, with an increased intensity in his bandaging.

“I asked her why you never wanted to spend time with me anymore.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Because getting eaten alive by wild animals with my delusional older brother sounds like such a grand time.” He sarcastically snapped.

“I thought that maybe you hated me now.” Thor said pointedly, staring at Loki and daring him to look back at him—to contradict him or to agree.

Loki did look at Thor. Briefly, before replying, “You are so dramatic.”

Thor smiled at Loki. Apparently, that was all he had needed to hear.

“I love you too, _little brother_.” He said, his voice oozing with unnecessary and over the top affection.

Loki finished Thor’s last bandage and “accidentally” pushed down too hard on his brother’s injury, causing him to yelp out in pain.

“You little—” But before Thor could finish his sentence or get his hands on Loki, his brother had vanished with a smirk. Thor frowned at the empty space in front of him for a moment before letting his face melt once more into a smile.

No sooner had this scene ended, than the Avengers found themselves back in the present.

It was clear to all what they had been meant to see in that memory. Loki cared for Thor—at least back then—as much as Thor cared for him. He was willing to put himself in harms way to see that no danger fell to his brother. He feared such harm befalling Thor. He prevented it where he could.

They were all left to silently wonder how long that attitude would last.

Eventually, after a minute of silent reverie, Tony coughed awkwardly. “Next memory then?”

The others slowly nodded their agreement, and back into the past they journeyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter so hopefully it came out halfway decent. And hopefully I'll get it back in the next chapter!


	5. A Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teenage Thor and Loki go to party where Loki doesn't fit in and have one too many drinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM AND DRINKING

Loki and Thor now both appeared to be well into their teenage years, growing more and more recognizable as the siblings the Avengers knew with each new memory. Currently, they were sat opposite from each other at a table, looking over pages of books and papers. Loki seemed to be genuinely interested in reading the information in front of him, while Thor seemed to be daydreaming; his eyes staring unfocused at the words.

“Loki.” Thor at last seemed unable to take the silence and prodded his brother distractedly.

“Mmm?” Loki didn’t look up as he hummed an uninterested response in Thor’s general direction.

“Are you excited about the festivities tonight?”

This caught Loki’s attention, and he looked up in confusion. “What festivities?” he asked cautiously.

“For the return of the warriors! The great feast! Everyone will be there— plus plenty of food _and_ drink.” He emphasized the drink part excitedly. It seemed that the excitement for binge drinking translated even to teenagers of other planets.

“Oh, right.” Loki returned to his books. He seemed to recall the information with little interest. “I am not going.”

Thor looked shocked at this revelation. “But you must, brother! All of our friends will be there!”

“ _Your_ friends.” Loki corrected him with a sudden and unexpected bitterness, before mumbling in an embarrassed tone, “They all hate _me_.”

Thor blinked in genuine confusion. “Hate?—they do not hate you! Why would you think that?”

Loki rolled his eyes at his brother’s lack of understanding. “Whatever, Thor, just forget about it. I’m not going, okay?”

“Loki.” Thor grew very serious and refused to continue until Loki was looking at him fully. “No one hates you. How could they?” His eyes grew bright at the last words, his face morphing into a smile of its own volition.

Loki’s face twitched and he hid a quick, barley registerable smile behind one pale hand. His frown quickly returned, however, and he looked downwards with a furrowed brow.

“Thor, you are probably the only one who will be at that feast who likes me even a little. And that is only because we are brothers—”

“I would like you even if we were not!”

“And at any rate I cannot stand being around your _‘friends’_.” Thor winced at the way Loki’s words dripped with venom as he spoke of his friends.

“Almost sounds like he’s talking about us.” Tony mentioned at this. Loki’s distaste for Thor’s friends then did bear a striking resemblance to his hatred for Thor’s friends now—that is, them.

“If you would just give them more of a chance, I know you would—” Thor began hopefully.

“Why? So they can make fun of me for being smaller than the rest of you? Or for favoring books and magic over swords and brash stupidity?” Loki was getting heated now. He rose slightly as he spoke. Suddenly, as if he realized he had said too much, he colored and sat back down.

Thor was staring at Loki with measured concern. “Have others been unkind to you Loki?”

“No.” Loki said quickly. “Just—forget it, alright?”

Thor continued to stare at Loki anxiously. Loki kept his brow furrowed and his head down until the silence seemed to give him pause, and he raised his eyes slightly to see Thor’s worried expression staring back at him. He sighed and forced his features to soften slightly.

“Look, it is not your fault that the Asgardian people favor you over me, brother. It makes sense—you are everything the people of Asgard value and I am everything they do not.”

The Avengers were shocked to hear Loki speak so plainly. Perhaps time had not yet taken its toll on Loki—perhaps he had not yet refined his trademark talent of never quite speaking the truth.

Regardless of the reason, Thor seemed unsatisfied with Loki’s response. After a minute of pondering, however, he appeared to have no ideas of what he might say to assure his brother that he was not hated by all. Instead, he gave a weaker smile.

“Come tonight, brother. Please?”

Loki’s jaw tightened and he looked as if he would very much like to refuse again. After a moment of deliberation, however, he stiffly agreed.

“Only for a little.”

Thor’s face split into a wide grin. “It will be fun! You will see!”

“I’m not sure he’s capable of having fun if it doesn’t involve beheading people.” Clint muttered sarcastically.

Natasha elbowed him in the ribs.

The memory turned and they found themselves in a great banquet hall, already filled with a great many merry people, red faced and indulging in the plentiful food and drink. Thor walked in excitedly, dragging behind him a cautious looking brother. Loki was peering around suspiciously, as if he expected something to jump out and grab him. A group of young warriors in training who looked to be around Thor’s age approached the pair. Loki inched minutely closer to his brother.

“Prince Thor!” The boy leading the group happily shoved a large goblet of wine into Thor’s eager hand. He looked to Loki with much more reserve. There was almost a tone of disgust in his voice as he acknowledged the smaller prince.

“Prince Loki.” The boy held out an equally large goblet, but Loki shook his head and scowled.

“No.” Loki responded quickly, adding “Thank you” afterwards as if it pained him to be polite to the other boy.

“What, you do not drink?” The boy scoffed at Loki as if he were ridiculous for not accepting the wine.

The other children snickered behind him. Loki’s face twitched and he looked to Thor subtly for help, but his brother was already distracted talking to a girl a few feet away. Loki, looking hopeless, succumbed to the pressure and took the drink, sipping it cautiously. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the taste of the alcohol.

“Don’t be a wimp about it, like you are in training.” The same boy sneered at Loki. “Drink up.”

Loki was, at this point, looking extremely uncomfortable in the situation. Steeling himself, however, he braced and downed the rest of his drink, only to have it immediately refilled by another boy who also thought it was extremely funny to watch Loki suffer.

With the others’ eyes on him, he drained that cup as well. Everyone was laughing at his pained expression as he drank.

“Can’t use your magic to get out of this one, can you?” One of the boys laughed, patting Loki on the back hard before walking away, leaving the rest of the bottle with the younger prince. The others who had gathered to watch this abuse also trickled away, save for that first boy, who was shaking his head at Loki like he was nothing but a piece of disgusting trash.

The boy looked over at Thor, who was still blissfully unaware that Loki had been cornered, then looked back to Loki. “You can’t just be normal like your brother, can you? You are honestly pathetic. If I was Thor and I had you as a brother, I’d never speak to you. I do not know how he puts up with you.”

And with that, Loki was left alone with the bottle. For half a second, his face betrayed pain, but then he seemed to push it away in favor of anger as he grabbed the bottle and took a swig, still wincing at the taste, and sighing deeply.

The Avengers were left silent as they watched.

“Fuck.” Tony was the first to speak. He was shocked at the sympathy he was feeling for the future super-villain. “What did the kid do to deserve that?”

Steve was shaking his head sadly. “Children can be cruel. One day they decide they don’t like the way you look, or act, and that’s it. Your worthless in their eyes.”

“Poor Loki.” Bruce whispered sadly. “No wonder he always felt like he was living in Thor’s shadow.”

“Not that that excuses killing hundreds of innocent people.” Clint pointed out, his voice soft but cautious.

“Of course not.” Bruce quickly agreed. “It doesn’t excuse it at all. But it at least explains it somewhat.”

The Avengers had been so busy talking, they didn’t realize that the memory had skipped forward in time. They quickly figured out, however, when it became clear that both Thor and Loki had gotten much further along in their drinks. It was clear, also, that Thor had had much more practice in holding his alcohol and while he carried on almost normally, Loki appeared to be struggling.

Thor had grown increasingly boisterous throughout the night and was now the life of the party as he conversed happily with those around him. Loki had retreated into a corner with his bottle, clearly desperate to avoid the attention of others, and his head drooped lazily as he sat and watched his brother mingle with a look of contempt.

There was a sudden chiming from the clock on the wall that seemed to break Loki out of his reverie. He jumped up, a look of panic on his face, and crossed the room to Thor, who had not registered the noise of the clock.

“Thor.” Loki slurred, grabbing onto his brother anxiously. “Brother, the time. We are past curfew.”

Thor had cut off in mid laugh and now turned to look at the clock, sharing his brother’s anxiety. “Oh shit—” Thor saw the time and grabbed onto Loki, making his excuses to the other and dragging his brother out of the room.

The Avengers followed them out into the night.

“Oh man, Mother is going to be furious at me for keeping you out past our curfew.” Thor was nervously running a hand through his hair. Loki stumbled as Thor dragged him along, his feet not working quite normally under the influence of the alcohol.

Thor stopped and looked behind him in surprise when he noticed the oddness of Loki’s movements. He immediately identified the change in his brother.

“Loki, are you—Norns, you’re wasted! Oh, I am going to be in so much trouble.” Thor was fully freaking out now, his own inebriated state doing nothing to calm him.

He turned and gripped Loki by the shoulders, staring at him with a focused intensity. “Listen to me Loki, you must pretend to be sober when we return, alright? Can you do that—”

In response, Loki bent over and vomited over Thor’s shoes. Thor groaned and put a hand over his face.

“Alright, alright.” Thor gave up and went to kneel behind Loki, pulling his hair away from his face as Loki puked and patting his back gently. “Get it all out.”

Loki groaned as he finished and sat back on his heels, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why do you like doing this?” He asked Thor miserably.

“No one likes this part of it.” Thor explained to his younger brother, grunting slightly as he pulled him up off the ground and yanked his brother’s arm around his own shoulder for support. “It’s the part before it that’s fun.”

“I didn’t have fun.” Loki mumbled, leaning against Thor’s shoulder exhaustedly. “I _told_ you the other kids hated me.”

Thor chewed on his lip. He clearly didn’t want to agree with his brother, but he had also seen Loki sulking in the corner all night, ignored by the others.

“If you tried harder, they might not be so mean to you.” He finally said, sounding almost slightly embarrassed at Loki’s not fitting in.

“I won’t change who I am for them.” Loki slurred angrily, scowling at the ground.

“That’s not what I meant, I just— “

Thor stopped short upon noticing that they had arrived home.

“Wait here.” He whispered to Loki, helping him to sit down before trotting off to the other side of the palace to peer in through the open window. Loki sat on the ground, groaning softly, one hand holding his presumably spinning head.

Thor returned, walking as softly as he could for his current level of intoxication. “Mother and Father aren’t around. They may not have noticed we aren’t back yet. I’m going to sneak us in through this window so we can go straight to my room.”

“Can’t climb through a window right now.” Loki mumbled; his voice muffled by the fact that his face was half pressed into his own shoulder.

Thor sighed angrily. “C’mon Loki, do you want to get caught or what?”

When Loki made no reply but to mutter something unintelligible, Thor grunted, resorting to hoisting Loki up himself and all but dragging him to the window,

“’ey! Ger’off!” Loki angrily protested, only to be silenced be Thor’s large hand slapping over his mouth.

“Be _quiet_.” Thor hissed at him threateningly.

They reached the window and Thor poked his head in to once more check that the coast was clear. He then turned his attention back to Loki, who was hanging limply at his side. Thor looked back at the window, an expression of worry clear on his face as he wondered how he was to get them both inside. Finally, he settled for lifting Loki up bridal style and clumsily tossing him through the window. Loki let out a startled yelp as Thor lifted him, falling inside with a thud and a groan of pain. Thor looked panicked as he heard Loki fall and quickly looked in after him.

“Brother! Are you alright?” Thor sounded guilty.

“I _hate_ you!” Loki mumbled from inside.

Tony, Clint, and Bruce all laughed loudly.

Looking relieved, Thor followed his brother inside, trailed invisibly by the Avengers, who watched Thor hoist Loki up again and ignore his protests as he dragged him into his room. Thor closed the door behind them, sighing in relief as he locked it behind them, and sat Loki down on his bed.

Finally, he took a moment to assess the state of his younger brother.

Loki really was in bad shape. His head wobbled back and forth unsteadily on his shoulders, and his clothes and hair were flecked with vomit—his face white as he shivered slightly on the bed.

Thor looked nervous as he realized the true state of his brother and once more a shadow of guilt passed over his face—whether from forcing him to come out when he didn’t want to, not paying close attention to him throughout the night, or throwing him through a window moments before.

“Ok.” Thor breathed, sounding determined. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

“I wanna go to bed.” Loki began to lie down, but Thor rushed forward and stopped him, pulling him off the bed and helping him over to the bathroom.

“Not yet,” Thor soothed him. “You can go to bed soon.”

The Avengers watched Thor pull Loki to the bathroom and sit him down so that his back was leaning against the tub. He gently nudged Loki’s head back and turned on the shower so that he could rinse the vomit from his black hair. When he seemed satisfied, he turned off the water and pulled a towel from the shelf, gently ruffling it over Loki’s head to soak up any dampness. He then wetted the end of the cloth a little more and ran it carefully over Loki’s neck and forehead. Loki hummed in pleasure at the relieving sensation.

Thor threw the towel onto the ground and sat back for a moment, needing to rest himself. Though he fared much better than Loki, he was also decently drunk. He slid down to lean against the wall opposite from Loki.

“I am sorry I made you come to the party.” Thor said at last. “I know you don’t like my friends. I just wanted you to have fun for once.”

“When will you learn that my definition of fun is different from yours?” Loki responded, his eyes stubbornly shut as he leaned against the tub.

“You’re always alone.” Thor pointed out. “I thought it would be good for you to make some other friends.”

“Don’t need ‘em.” Loki responded through a yawn. “I’ve got you.”

Thor looked startled by this admission, but didn’t protest it and instead let a content smile pass easily over his face.

“You’re my best friend too, you know. Not any of those other boys.” Thor closed his own eyes now, the promise of sleep extremely tempting.

“I know.” Loki murmured. He now looked like he was already half asleep. Thor seemed ready to join him when, suddenly remembering something, his eyes flew open.

“Oh, Loki,” He exclaimed, “Your clothes are still covered in vomit, we need to get you out of them.”

He leaned forward to pull Loki’s shirt over his head. Loki sleepily complied but, at the last minute, seemed to remember something that drew him completely out of his half-sleeping coma.

His eyes flew wide open and a look of extreme fear came over his features as he struggled to free himself from Thor’s grip.

“Wait, Thor, don’t!”

It was too late. Thor had seen it. And so had the Avengers.

Covering Loki’s arms and scattered over his chest were long, thin scars and cuts. Loki’s face blanched as Thor sat completely still, holding Loki’s limp shirt in one hand, his eyes wide in shock.

“Loki, what have you—” It came out as a whisper and only after several moments of pained silence.

“Please don’t tell Mother and Father.” Loki sounded frantic, pleading with his brother.

“I—I have to—you’re unwell, brother—” Thor started, his eyes filling with tears for his brother’s pain which he had been too blind to see.

“They aren’t recent, ok?” Loki quickly assured Thor, sounding desperate. “I haven’t done it in a while. I promise, I’m working on it.”

Thor shook his head wordlessly. “Why didn’t you say anything—but of course I should have noticed—brother, I am so sorry.”

“Thor, please, it’s alright. Just don’t tell Mother and Father—I’m begging you.” Loki was crying too now, the tears sliding down his cheeks and falling on his pale, scarred body.

“I—” Thor started to protest again, but seeing his brother crying, he couldn’t find it in himself to disagree. “Fine. I won’t. But only if—only if you promise you aren’t doing it anymore. And you let me see every once and awhile to make sure you aren’t.”

Loki looked at once relieved and terrified at Thor’s agreement and subsequent conditions. He breathed in shakily and, hesitantly, agreed. “Fine.”

Thor nodded, still looking pale and shaken, as he stood. “Get your pants off as well, I’ll go get your sleep clothes.” He instructed.

Loki obeyed, perhaps only because he was drunk, or perhaps because he realized he’d already gotten away with more than he should have that night. Thor returned quickly with a set of green pajamas, which he helped Loki pull on. He had changed into pajamas himself already, and when he had finished helping Loki he extended a hand to pull him off the ground. Loki accepted and Thor yanked him up, but instead of stopping as Loki reached his feet, he continued pulling until he had enveloped Loki in a crushing hug.

Loki stiffened noticeably, but then accepted and melted into the embrace, shaking slightly as he buried his nose into Thor’s shoulder. After a long time, Thor finally let him go and Loki leaned into him as they hobbled over towards the bed. Apparently too tired—physically and emotionally—to make the journey across the hall to Loki’s bedroom, or perhaps just needing to stay in the comfort of each other’s presence, they collapsed together on Thor’s bed, and almost immediately they passed out. Thor snored heavily as Loki pressed his face ungracefully in his sleep into Thor’s armpit. The chaos of the day seemed to melt away as they slept, though it was clear a great many things would be changed when they awoke.

And as suddenly as it had started, the Avengers found themselves back in Stark Towers.

A silence fell over them again.

“I had no idea Loki had such a… hard time. When they were younger.” Bruce whispered, almost guiltily.

“I don’t think any of us did.” Natasha agreed. “Maybe that’s why Thor sometimes seemed like he was easier on him than he should have been.”

“I wonder if he kept—” Tony motioned vaguely with his hands. “I mean I wonder if he really stopped.”

“I kind of doubt it.” Clint shrugged, “I mean, clearly he still had issues by the time all the shit really started to hit the fan.”

“Language.” Steve muttered, though his heart didn’t seem to be in it.

“Yeah, about that.” Tony turned to reference Clint’s comment. “From what I can see, so far Thor and Loki’s relationship has been pretty normal sunshine and rainbows. I mean apart from living in Thor’s shadow and all that stuff, but Loki doesn’t seem to blame Thor too much for that yet. When did they’re relationship get all—complicated and stuff.”

“Well, Thor’s told us what happened before. With Loki discovering his true parentage and his fall and everything.” Natasha reminded him.

“Sure, we know _what_ happened.” Tony shrugged. “It’s just, we haven’t seen any major strain in their relationship yet.”

Bruce was looking at the tiny bottle that contained their next memory. More specifically, he was looking at the date on it. “I think we may be about to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all downhill from here really, probably going to get angsty for awhile, as per their relationship


End file.
